Letters archive

Dave Smith, Alnwick, Northumberland, UK Reader Geoff Harding points to the opportunity of storing carbon by regrowing trees in the Amazon ( Letters, 8 January ). Sadly, the November winds that knocked down many trees here in Northumberland illustrate the problem with such offsetting: it may be merely temporary. One option could be to use …

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people with covid-19 to self-isolate for five days after testing positive or from the day their symptoms start ( 15 January, p 9 ).

David Ludwig says it makes more sense to argue that a teenager's growth spurt causes increased eating than that increased eating causes the growth spurt ( 8 January, p 21 ). Similarly, he says, obesity due to intrinsic factors may lead to excess energy intake, rather than vice versa. I have often thought that nobody …

In "How to hack your personality", you say "companies might pressure staff to undergo personality change training against their will" ( 15 January, p 46 ). This sort of thing already happens on a regular basis. Many firms try to push "mindfulness" and "resilience" training on staff, so that instead of trying to fix the …

As your report on the pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) shows, this is already killing millions of people around the world ( 29 January, p 20 ). Without coordinated international projects, the problem is only going to worsen. The serious consequences of AMR have long been known, but the problem has yet to be tackled …

You report on the first pig heart transplant into a person, in the US ( 15 January, p 7 ). Using animals as warehouses for spare parts is morally wrong. Pigs are sentient, complex, intelligent individuals that, like any animal, shouldn't be raised and raided for their organs. People who need a transplant need a …

As science communicators, we must be considerate of the language we use to convey ideas and information. Terms such as "donated" imply an explicit decision by an individual. We must admit and clearly convey that animals aren't able to give their consent and, as such, aren't able to donate their organs.

With regard to lowering the impact of high energy prices on consumers, remember that we want to cut the use of fossil fuels, so policies to alleviate this problem shouldn't promote energy use ( 15 January, p 20 ). If direct payments are made to consumers, they shouldn't be linked to energy consumption – people …

According to renewable power group Octopus Energy , "all energy sources in the UK, from wind to solar to fossil fuels, are being sold based on the high price of gas imports – the higher price of 'brown' electrons artificially putting up the price of 'green' ones as well". However, about 40 per cent of …

The 2013 novel Life After Life is by Kate Atkinson (15 January, p 2).